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Edward G. Ware (1846 – 1917)

“EDWARD G. WARE.– A pioneer, who deserves the esteem of posterity as well as his contemporaries was the late Edward G. Ware, the planter and grower of the first Valencia oranges in the Garden Grove section. He was born at South Deerfield, Mass., in 1846, the son of Samuel and Mary (Chandler) Ware. The former came to Illinois with his parents when he ws twelve years old, and in that state grew to maturity. Mrs. Samuel Ware was born at South Hadley, Mass., and graduated from Mt. Holyoke Seminary. She died at Garden Grove in 1908, aged eighty-seven years.

When Mr. Ware came to Garden Grove, it was a grain field. He tried different kinds of farming, and became much interested in advancing the farming interests here. He took an active interest in farmers’ institutes, and was accurate and well posted, and often gave prepared dissertations for his fellows. Later, he took up horticulture, and devoted his attention to both Navel and Valencia oranges, and walnuts. On the ranch at Garden Grove now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur C. Stanley there still stands the original ‘Eureka’ walnut tree from which all the ‘Eureka’ nut trees in Southern California have originated; also the ‘Prolific’ nut, and the ‘Earhart.’ All three were propagated and budded here by the late D.C. Dusher, who conducted a nursery and experimental work that later have proved of so much value to the walnut growers of the state. The last named was call after Mr. Earhart because of the fact that he developed the nut that has been such a success for withstanding disease. Such wee Mr. Ware’s powers of observation and deduction, that the professor of horticulture of the State University called him the best authority on walnuts in the state of California.

As a grower of Valencia oranges Mr. Ware was the pioneer of Garden Grove section, and enjoyed an enviable local fame. he had prophetic vision, and once said to the pioneer, Albert J. Chaffee, ‘My daughter will yet live to see the choicest of Valencia oranges in the United States grown here at Garden Grove.’ In his later years he became interested in poultry, raised Minorcas, and took the prize at the San Francisco poultry exhibit at the Pacific Panama Exposition.

He married October 14, 1875 at Batavia, Ill., Mary Johnson, and she passed away in 1914. She had been interested particularly in temperance work, and served, with the exception of one year, as secretary of the Garden Grove W.C.T.U. from its organization until she died. The had one child, Lillian Agnes, now Mrs. Arthur C. Stanley a native of Garden Grove and a graduate of Santa Ana high school, Class of ’97, and the Los Angeles Norman School, Class of 1900. She formerly belonged to the M.E. Church, and is now a member of the Friends’ Church, in the Alamitos School District, and is active in all church and Sunday School work.

…When Edward Ware came to garden Grove in 1876, from San Francisco where he had lived for several years, he purchased his place of forty acres; and at his home, one mile north of garden Grove, he died on December 17, 1917, and was buried at Santa Ana. He had a wide circle of friends, who appreciated him at his real value and who honored him in death, as they had in life.”

The following information was written as past of Edward’s family history. I chose to place it after his biography for clarity. ” Samuel Ware, the great-grandfather, was a minister in the Congregational Church and was born at Norwich, Mass., on September 5, 1781. he died on August 29, 1866, in Massachusetts. Henry Ward Beecher boarded with him at Amherst while he was a theological student. The progenitor of this family was Robert Ware, who was born in England and came to Massachusetts Bay Colony some time before the autumn of 1642.”